I’m getting back up to speed at the right time. I spent the first few weeks of 2010 on the injured reserve after back surgery, which turns out is just about as cringe-worthy as it sounds.

Once I got my head clear and started getting stir crazy at home, it was time to head back to the Tribune. I wasn’t thrilled to miss a few weeks of basketball season, including the boys and girls Howard County Tournaments, but I’m glad to be back in time for the serious business: the postseason.

Wrestlers and swimmers are already in the swing, and next week the girls basketball sectional starts. That’s where things really get interesting. Kokomo, Taylor, Carroll, Tri-Central, Northwestern, Peru, Tipton and Eastern all ended the regular season with winning records. Now, we get to see who in that bunch is a real contender.

There are two potential meetings that could be barn-burners:

• In the Class 4A Harrison Sectional, Kokomo finished 17-2 and Logan ended the season 20-1. That lone loss for the Berries came at home against Kokomo in November when the Kats won a nail-biter 36-34 at the Berry Bowl.

The Wildkats and Berries meet again in Friday’s first game. Logan will enter the fray with an 18-game winning streak and a cause. Logan coach Jerry Hoover had to take leave of the team after suffering a heart attack.

Kokomo enters on a down note after getting blasted by Westfield Thursday night.

• In the Class 2A Oak Hill Sectional, fans can only hope for a repeat of an epic encounter between Taylor and Oak Hill last November. The Titans topped last year’s state runner-up 70-67 in triple overtime.

The only way to get a repeat performance is for each to reach the final. Eastern owns a victory over Taylor this season and could force a rematch of its own but would have to get through Oak Hill in the semifinal round to get to the final. The Eagles topped the Comets by 19 points earlier this season.

Over the Wall

Prior to last season, I sat down and worked out a rough estimate of what former Taylor girls hoops player Teri Oliver would need to average in her senior season to snag the Taylor career scoring record. Turns out she finished just a possession short, falling one point shy of Myndie Vaughn’s mark of 1,445.

So this season, I sat down to do the same number crunching on Titan senior Shelby Wall. It looked like a longshot, given her previous output, but a possibility.

Imagine my surprise that about the time I came back to work at the Tribune, Wall had the record in her sights and plenty of games left to play. I hadn’t counted on her pouring in points at a 24-point-per-game clip. Taylor has won 10 games by double digits with several blowouts mixed in. Wall’s total could be even more if the Titans had been in more close games.

Wall didn’t even have 1,000 career points when the season started. She entered her senior season with 997. She’s now got 506 points on the season and the new Taylor scoring record is 1,503 and counting heading into Tuesday’s sectional opener against Tipton.

Boys action

I love winter and I love basketball season, but it’s an uneasy peace between the two. Friday’s rotten weather cost us most of the evening’s games, but in the coming weeks there are a few teams every hoops fan should check out.

• Peru. The Bengal Tigers are really clicking as they play stifling defense and win games by an average of 20 points. Wes Zimmerman, Justin Engel and a never-ending supply of kids named Smith give them all the points they need.

• Hamilton Heights. In particular, watch Austin Etherington. That kid is an animal. Is it OK to say that about a junior in high school? I hope so because that kid is an animal. It’s not an insult.

I saw Heights last season and that kid was just explosively physical. Bodies just bounced off him. He’s going to be hard for any team to handle regardless of its defensive ability.

Ball State update!

The mighty Ball State Cardinals men’s basketball team is on a four-game happy streak after dispatching Bowling Green Thursday night. The Cardinals haven’t won four straight games since the 2003-04 season.

I’m not convinced there’s light at the end of the tunnel yet, but at least mediocrity is well within Ball State’s grasp. Given what coach Billy Taylor has had to work with, that’s quite the improvement.

• Pedro Velazco missed bowl season in a medicated haze, but won’t miss the NCAA Tournament. He may be reached by e-mail at pedro.velazco@kokomotribune.com.